Family centred care for critically ill children

John Hunter Hospital Paediatric Intensive Care Unit

Newcastle, Australia

Design can’t cure critically-ill children, but it can boost patients’ wellbeing, accelerate recovery times and ease stressful situations for parents and families.

dwp’s sympathetic design balances critical care needs with a calm, supportive environment. Curved forms and subtle colours run throughout the eight-bed unit, which also features a parents’ lounge, playroom and overnight rooms.

Patients and their carers can enjoy time in the sunshine and fresh air due to clever consideration of medical services, which are building into the façade of the external balcony